Google connected Aug. 31 began removing definite Android apps from its Play Store, citing a tendency to supply “a stable, responsive, and engaging idiosyncratic experience.” The move, portion of the company’s latest updated spam and minimum functionality policy, is 1 that could impact developers.
Apps with “limited functionality and content,” specified arsenic those that are static without app-specific functionalities, volition beryllium removed. This includes text-only oregon PDF record apps and apps with a tiny magnitude of contented that don’t supply an engaging idiosyncratic experience, specified arsenic azygous wallpaper apps, the argumentation said.
Google is besides removing apps with breached functionality, specified arsenic apps that “crash, freeze, unit close, oregon different relation abnormally.” This includes apps that:
- Don’t install.
- Install but don’t load.
- Load but are unresponsive.
The institution declined to remark further connected the move.
Less state for developers
Andrew Cornwall, a elder expert astatine Forrester, told TechRepublic that portion Apple’s app store connected iOS “has traditionally rejected apps that don’t conscionable its prime guidelines, Google, connected the different hand, has allowed developers to people a batch more.” More apps meant much choices, giving an vantage to Google, helium said.
Many developers archetypal published to Google Play with a low-value trial app, Cornwall said. “However, the developer ne'er intended for anyone to download the app,” helium noted.
Some radical person utilized escaped app-building tools to make apps that were nary much than advertisements for a service, helium said. “Creators of these apps often utilized app store optimization techniques to promote downloads, resulting successful a mediocre idiosyncratic experience.” For example, “users would spot the advertisements erstwhile searching alternatively than apps that did what they needed,’’ Cornwall said.
Another usage lawsuit progressive writers who would sometimes people a publication by delivering it arsenic an app successful Google Play, utilizing the app acquisition arsenic a outgo method, helium said.
“These astir apt should person been e-books, to statesman with, alternatively than apps,’’ Cornwall said.
Does this determination impact security?
The argumentation alteration doesn’t importantly interaction security — it’s much astir improving idiosyncratic experience, Cornwall stressed.
“It’s imaginable this argumentation alteration could regularisation retired immoderate single-pane apps that conscionable instal adware oregon imitate different app’s login process and bash thing more,’’ helium said. “However, they’d besides autumn afoul of the Privacy, Deception, and Abuse argumentation anyway.”
He added that Google has updated the Play Console Requirements “to guarantee that fiscal products and services, health, VPN, and authorities apps are from registered organizations, not idiosyncratic developers, which could assistance forestall users from leaking backstage accusation to an untrusted source.”
Another argumentation alteration coming that adds audio to Google’s Manipulated Media clause nether the Privacy, Deception, and Abuse policy is “more astir keeping Google retired of occupation than end-user security,’’ helium said.
Previous steps to code Play Store violations
This is not the archetypal clip Google has governed apps hosted connected its Play Store.
In 2023, the tech elephantine prevented 2.28 cardinal apps that violated its policies from being published connected the Play Store, according to a Google blog posted past April. Google credited investments successful “new and improved information features, argumentation updates, and precocious instrumentality learning and app reappraisal processes” arsenic measures taken.
Google besides said astatine the clip that it had strengthened its developer onboarding and reappraisal processes and present requires much individuality accusation erstwhile Play accounts are archetypal established. Investments successful its reappraisal tooling and processes enabled it to “identify atrocious actors and fraud rings much effectively,” the institution wrote. Subsequently, 333,000 “bad” accounts were banned from Play for violations including “confirmed malware and repeated terrible argumentation violations.”
Further, Google said it has enhanced the privateness posture of implicit 31 SDKs impacting implicit 790,000 apps by partnering with bundle improvement kit providers to bounds delicate information entree and sharing.
The upshot for users
Google’s updated minimum functionality argumentation aims to support these lower-value apps retired of Google Play, conscionable arsenic Apple already does for the App Store, Cornwall said.
“Users astir apt won’t announcement a difference, but that searches volition improve,” helium explained.
“In the lawsuit of publication publishers, they volition request to find different outgo oregon organisation method,” helium said. “Spammers volition determination connected to different low-cost channel. App developers tin signifier with Google Play’s interior investigating options.”
By updating the spam and minimum functionality policy, Google volition region a batch of spam from Google Play, Cornwall added.
“That’s bully quality for users, who volition find utile apps much quickly,” helium said. “Legitimate developers shouldn’t worry. If you’re hoping to merchandise the adjacent ‘I Am Rich’ app and past discontinue connected the proceeds, you’ll person to marque it bash thing absorbing first.”
Google lists a broad acceptable of tips to assistance developers get their apps published connected Play.
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